Los Angeles is known not only for its celebrity clientele, but also for its congested roadways and heavy traffic, which consequently has led to severely polluted air, and the title of the “smoggiest city” in the United States. While air quality has improved somewhat in LA, a joint study by UCLA and the California Air Resources Board suggests that nearly a quarter of Angelenos (more…)

Sempra U.S. Gas and Power announced this week that Los Angeles and Burbank are going to buy solar power from a 250 MW plant in Boulder City, NV.

The price? According to the city attorney, via this contract (pdf) LADWP will be getting 1.9% of its power from an emission free, global-warming fighting, (more…)

The Los Angeles City Council recently approved a contract with a 250 MW PV plant. It’s on tribal land, and according to this article, the tribe is pleased with the economics of the deal.

Ratepayers should also be pleased. This contract adds 2.9% renewables to LADWPs mix, and at a price of 9.1 cents/kWh. Read the details, here (pdf). (more…)

Levels of some automobile-related pollutants in Los Angeles have plummeted by 98 percent since the 1960s, even as gasoline consumption nearly tripled during the same period, a new study says.

Levels of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which are emitted from the tailpipes of cars and are a key (more…)

Here at Vote Solar we work day in and day out on the policies that help solar thrive. We are passionate about our work – but it’s easy to get buried in a world of regulatory dockets and draft legislation. Which is why we sure appreciate a reminder of what solar power means to the daily lives of those it touches. (more…)

Vote Solar staff attended meetings last week with staff of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP), the nation’s largest publicly-owned utility, serving about 10% of California’s electrical load. California law now requires munis like LADWP to get 33% of their power mix from renewables by 2020, (more…)

White House Council on Environmental Quality Chair Nancy Sutley visited Los Angeles to discuss the Obama Administration's commitment to harnessing clean energy opportunities to create American jobs on Friday, July 22.  She met with business leaders, city officials and top educators (more…)

Last week, I was fortunate to meet with two of the people driving Los Angeles’ transition to plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs). Beth Jines, the Director of Sustainability for the City of Los Angeles, and Sarah Potts, City Director of Los Angeles for the Clinton Climate Initiative, are working together to navigate the (more…)

The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) recently announced that it is no longer accepting new reservation requests for its solar incentive. In its announcement, LADWP cited strong demand for rebates which has exceeded their current budget for the program. (more…)

Los Angeles is known first and foremost for its colossal influence on the entertainment industry but aside from Hollywood, LA is a bustling, massive industrial hub where labor, business and government efforts are working together to make the city’s industries sustainable as well. With access to the ports, a strong, skilled workforce, a robust university presence, and industry (more…)